Last Show of the Season!



Tomorrow is the final show of 2009 for me - Sowa Holiday Market.
There will be 80 vendors selling fantastic handmade items for everyone on your shopping list. This will be the 6th season for SOWA Holiday and looks to be one of it's best yet!! Come out and shop some of the finest handcrafts in the Boston area. Doors open at 10am 'til 6pm Saturday and Sunday at the Cathedral High School Gym in the South End.

After a sort rest, I will be back to blogging about new work and inspirations. Looking forward to 2010!

Design Nearby - Big Print Little Print



This Friday Dec. 11th, I have the honor of taking part in Design Nearby - Big Print Little Print a one night art sale and party at Pinkcomma Gallery, 81B Wareham Street, Boston.

Featured artists include:


Tony Bevilacqua



Alison Cole



Dyslexic Press



Family Dinner for One



Leah Giberson



Ink Design



JHill Design



Kyle Jonasen



Nervous System



Katie Rowley



Jenn Ski



Two Trick Pony



Viva Ortegacy


Erica von Schilgen



Susy Pilgrim Waters



The 47th

The party runs from 6-11. A fun and funky way to find some cool gifts for the holidays. Hope to see you there!

Coastal Holiday House Tour and Boutique

This Sunday Dec. 6 there will be the Coastal Holiday Boutique and House Tour to benefit the Scituate Elementary School.My Boston Handmade friend Brooke of Bancroft Studios and 17 other vendors will be at the Boutique at the Barker Tavern from 10:30-5:00 and it is FREE and open to the public. What a great place to find some holiday goodies!









Luscious!




I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!! I just wanted to share some lovely photos that my husband, Joe Keller, shot with Mary Jane Sawyer of Ennis, Inc. Yummy!


Boston Handmade Downtown Opening Friday!!

Members of Boston Handmade have been working weekends to get the space ready to open this Friday, Nov. 27th. Here's a sampling of goods you may find.



Boston Handmade Downtown is at 505 Washington Street, Boston. Open Nov. 27th thru Dec. 24th, Wednesdays to Sundays 11-7. Enjoy a handmade shopping experience and find unique gifts for the people on your shopping list. Stock will be continually added so there will always be something new and different!

We're Back!



Back for a second year in the same location as last year! Opening November 27th at 505 Washington Street in the Downtown Crossing District of Boston.

At Boston Handmade Downtown you'll be supporting local micro businesses that produce high quality items. Your gifts will be unique and often one of a kind. They won't be made in a foreign factory! So come on down. The artists will be staffing the store so you may just meet the maker of that special gift - try that at the mall!

Happy Halloween!


What a spectacular day on Sunday at the final SOWA Sunday. Lots of sun and fun people getting in touch with their inner Zombie!

This little lovely is fellow Boston Handmader Lucie Wicker!

I had a great day, but I wish I could have been in two places at once. My husband took the kids to get their pumpkins while I was at the show. I wish I hadn't missed it but I'm glad Joe can handle a camera!

Tape Swell on the Daily Grommet



My friend Eileen has her business featured on the Daily Grommet.

I first met Eileen when she worked as a stylist for my husband and I.

I also credit her for really getting me started in encaustics. We went to her home for a shoot and she showed me her setup and gave me all the information to get going. She also encouraged me to take a workshop with her at Tracy Spadaforas studio.

Her new business is really great. Check it out.

You go girl!

Say What?


I just love text and I have been wanting to design something using words as the pattern. I was inspired by vintage bus scrolls and my love of sailing. I golf too, but I'm a hack. I can hold my own if I don't take it seriously, hence the slang terms on one of the pillows. Something new of 2009. Happy Summer!

Boston Handmade at SOWA this SUNDAY!


I have been crazy busy with shows and a trip out west (more on that later). This show is one not to miss. I will be at SOWA this Sunday with 17 other members of Boston Handmade. Participants will be:

83 West
Bancroft Studio
Blue Alvarez
Christine Marie Art
Chroma Lab
Elizabeth Brennick Designs
Fraske Designs
Kerry Hawkins Photography
Linda B. Dunn
Lucie Wicker Photography
MaJenta Designs
Mimi Kirchner
Nancy Rosetta
Sea Glass Things
Stonehouse Studios
The Hole Thing
Vintage by Crystal

SOWA will have something for everyone. In addition to the artisans, there is a farmers market and antiques market. Come on out and enjoy this Sunday the 14th from 10am-4pm, Harrison Ave., Boston. Stop by and say "Hi!"

Open Market Opener


Well it was a bit chilly but what a fun weekend! Saturday, I was right across from fellow Boston Handmader Beth Brennick. We had a great time and thank you to everyone who came out! I'll be back with new things on May 31st! See you then :)

Come One, Come All!


Here we go!
Come on out this weekend and enjoy the spring weather while taking in the goodies at SOWA opening weekend. I will be there Saturday and Sunday and look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
New this year is the Antiques Market that will be held in the trolley barn next to the market. There should be a lot of wonderful finds all around. Hope to see you there!

My Purl Girl


I am addicted!!! It was so much fun making this doll! Thank you Mimi, for your generosity in sharing the pattern on The Purl Bee.
I took along materials to start her on my vacation. I even had the felt shipped to my father-in-laws, in Florida. It arrived toward the end of my break so I didn't complete her until I came home.



My daughter just loves her :)

Inspiration Don't Leave Me Now



Well, I'm just back from "vacation". It was the first time back to Florida since the passing of my mother-in-law and it made me reflect on a lot of things. It is amazing the impact that small gestures can have on a person's life - fancy soaps in the bathroom, beds made and towels laid out, home cooked dinners you don't have to think about, quiet conversations marveling on how the kids are growing, stories shared about golf and "life at the club" - I missed them all.

I'm finding it difficult to get motivated - I guess I'm having a bit of a relapse in my mourning process but I decided I would just try to make some small items to try out gouache in my mixed media. Family and motherhood are on my mind...

Happy Easter

I did a little something different this year with the kids. Instead of colored eggs (which always seem to get wasted), we made terrariums!
Growing up, my grandmother would always bring a terrarium to our holidays. She made fantastic little environments with skaters or woodland animals. I was captivated by them. So when Susan from West Coast Crafty, a blog I love to follow, posted a how-to on making terrariums, I was inspired to try it this holiday.

Our family had a lovely, WARM Good Friday and spent the day on the waterfront in Plymouth and snooping in some antique shops in town. I found three great old bottles for the project. Once I got home I found a terrarium that my mother had given me years ago and an old cookie jar, so we had plenty to work with.  

In the cold rain on Saturday, we ventured out to gather the ingredients - gravel, activated charcoal, soil, moss and plants. Unfortunately, at this time of year the nursery had not received their tender plants but we found some little ferns and tropicals. To decorate we used figures from the Magical Forest Mix offered by Etsy seller Bake it Pretty.

Working with warm, green little worlds was a great way to chase away the dreary weather. Both kids really got into it. My son loved planning his landscape and had great little stories about what the gnomes were up to. My daughter absolutely loved hers, complete with Snow White and some dwarfs - She keeps sticking her hands in to play in the scene!

I hope your holiday is filled with fun and family, new and old traditions.

The Day That Changed Me


Seven years ago, today, I became a mom. We did this series of portraits when he was around three months old. I always called him my "little luna" - he had such a happy moon face. Today he is a strong, independent and kind boy. I am so proud. Happy Birthday, Luna.

Vintage by Crystal on Martha Stewart!!


What can I say... it was bound to happen and it couldn't have happened to a nicer person.  Friend and fellow Boston Handmade member, Crystal, will be on the Martha Stewart Show this Wednesday (tomorrow) at 10 am on Fox 25 in the Boston area (check your local listings).

I, for one, can't wait to take notes on her craft!  It seems like every time we have a group show I come home with another one or her beautiful creations.  I added a Christmas ornament to my tree this year and have purchased these lovelies for my children - instant heirloom!

Check it out!